Shaped ski body part and ski manufacturing method

ABSTRACT

A shaped body part of a laminated ski extends longitudinally the length of the ski and has one substantially flat face and two lateral rims defining a substantially flat-bottomed, shallow channel. The channel is shaped to receive the bottom lining of the ski and the rims define shoulders for positioning the laterally extending metal edges of the ski adjacent the rims. The spacing between the shoulders is approximately equal to the width of the ski. The additional ski parts are laminated to the flat face of the shaped body part.

[ SHAPED SKI BODY PART AND SKI MANUFACTURING METHOD [76] Inventor: Walter Kofler, Mullerstrasse 14-16,

A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria 22 Filed: July 3, 1972 21 Appl. No.2 268,469

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data [451 Apr. 30, 1974 3,329,437 7/1967 Holmberg et a1. 280/1 1.13 L 3,542,388 11/1970 Veneko 280/1 1.13 L 3,628,802 12/1971 Hashimoto et al. 280/1 1.13 L

Primary Examiner-Kenneth H. Betts Assistant ExaminerDavid M. Mitchell Attorney, Agent, or FirmKurt Kelman ABSTRACT A shaped body part of a laminated ski extends longitu- July 7, 1971 Austria 5921/71 dinally the length of the ski and has one substantially flat face and two lateral rims defining a substantially [52] US. Cl. 280/ 11.13 L, 156/306 flat-bottomed, shallow channel. The channel is shaped [51] Int. Cl. A63c 5/12 to receive the bottom lining of the ski and the rims de- [58] Field of Search... 280/1 1.13 L; 156/306, 303.1, fine shoulders for positioning the laterally extending 156/298 metal edges of the ski adjacent the rims. The spacing between the shoulders is approximately equal to the [56] References Cited width of the ski. The additional ski parts are laminated UNITED STATES PATENTS to the flat face of the shaped body part.

2,694,580 11/1954 Head 280/1 1.13 L 14 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures sLemLMs PATENIEBAPR 30 m4 sum 2 OF 3.

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PMENTE DAPR 30 m4 SHEET 3 OF 3 mm x W SHAPED SKI BODY PART AND SK MANUFACTURING METHOD The present inventionrelates to improvements in the manufacture of laminated skis and provides an improved shaped body part for such manufacture.

Most present-day skis are metal-edged and the mounting of the edges causes one of the most vexing problems in the manufacture of such skis. it has been proposed to affix the steel edges to the ski with screws or, more recently, by adhesive bonding. When the edges are screwed to the ski, the parts of the ski are first laminated, the lateral faces of the laminated ski are then cut to final form, grooves or notches are milled into the lateral faces, and the edges are positioned in the grooves or notches where they are screwed in place.

Essentially, the following methods have been used for bonding the metal edges adhesively to the ski body:

A ski blank of the above type is prepared and, to increase the adhesiveness of the lateral grooves or notches, friction strips are bonded thereto, requiring pressure not only against the lateral faces of the ski but also against the bottom face so that the metal edges may be properly positioned. Various and sometimes complex means are required to apply suitable pressure.

lt has also been proposed to manufacture the ski from a plurality of laminae and to bond the laminae and edges together in special apparatus comprising generally a base plate with small jigs or pins outlining the boundary of the ski. The adhesive-coated laminae are then positioned in superposed condition in this form, i.e. beginning with the lowest layer of edging rods, with the bottom lining therebetween, with a reinforcing glass fiber layer or metal layer placed thereover and followed by the other ski laminae, finished with the top layer of the ski. Obviously, this requires all parts to be most accurately dimensioned which, in view of the length of skis, is a most expensive manufacturing step. Furthermore, placing the laminae in superposed posi tioned into the form is time-consuming. The form must be cleaned after each operation and must be provided with a separating layer to prevent the finished laminated ski from adhering thereto. Handling the adhesive-coated laminae, particularly the narrow metal edges, is difficult and takes great care, with concomitant time losses, additional time and effort being required to clamp the positioned laminae together until the assembly is brought into the press.

It is the primary object of this invention to overcome these and other disadvantages with a shaped body part of a laminated ski which simplifies and expedites the proper positioning at least of the laterally extending metal edges and the bottom lining of the ski and, preferably, also a reinforcing layer and other ski parts. in this manner, the ski may be inexpensively mass produced and the shaped body part does not only serve as a form but becomes a lamina of the finished ski.

The shaped body part of the invention extends longitudinally the length of the ski and has one substantially flat face. Two lateral rims of the shaped body part define a substantially flat-bottomed, shallow channel shaped to receive the bottom lining. The rims define shoulders for positioning the laterally extending edges adjacent the rims, the spacing between the shoulders being approximately equal to the width of the ski. The

one substantially flat face of the shaped body is a support for the additional ski part or parts of the laminated ski.

Preferably, the flat bottom of the channel defines a recess for receiving a reinforcing layer, the depth of the channel being equal to the thickness of the bottom lining and metal edges.

The central portion of the shaped ski part connecting the two rims and having the one flat face may be very thin so that it plays no useful role in reinforcing the ski. However, it also may be of a material and/or shape to participate significantly in imparting the required qualities of solidity and elasticity to the ski.

The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing a laminated ski with a shaped body part of the indicated structure, which comprises the steps of coating a bottom lining and laterally extending edges with an adhesive, positioning the adhesive-coated bottom lining and edges in the channel of the shaped body part, with the edges being adjacent the rims and the bottom lining being between the rims, positioning at least one adhesive-coated additional ski part over the flat face of the shaped body part to provide the laminated ski, pressing the laminated parts together in a single step and permitting the adhesives to harden to complete the lamination, and finally removing the rim portions projecting outwardly from the edges.

The shaped body parts of this invention may be produced in the form of continuous lengths of strips of extruded thermoplastic resin, and these strips may then be cut into the desired lengths of skis. It will be particularly advantageous to extrude an integral blank comprising a plurality of laterally adjacent shaped body parts, with webs interconnecting the body parts for ready severance from each other. Such blanks may be continuous lengths of strips with, for instance, two, four, six or eight adjacent body parts.

With such a blank, it is possible according to the invention to manufacture simultaneously a plurality of laminated skis. A like plurality of bottom linings and laterally extending edges are then coated with an adhesive, a respective one of the adhesive-coated bottom linings and two edges are positioned in each channel, with the edges being adjacent the rims and the bottom lining between the rims, at least one adhesive-coated additional ski part is positioned over the flat face of each shaped ski body part to provide a laminated ski, the laminated parts of the plurality of skis are pressed in a single step and the adhesive is permitted to harden to complete lamination, the webs are severed to produce individual skis, and the rim portions projecting outwardly from the edges of each individual ski are removed. Such a manufacturing procedure provides a considerable advantage over known methods of making skis.

The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of certain now preferred embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein FIG. 1 is a transverse cross section of the simplest embodiment of the shaped ski body part of this invention, with the bottom lining and metal edges in position;

FIG. 2 is a similar view of a preferred embodiment of the shaped ski body part;

FIG. 3 shows the assembly of a laminated ski with the shaped body part of FIG. 1 in like cross section;

FIGS. 4 and show two modifications of the assembly in views similar to that of FIG. 3, with the shaped body part of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a transverse cross sectional view of a portion of an integral blank of a plurality of laterally adjacent shaped body parts interconnected by webs;

FIG. 7 is a transverse cross sectional view of a modified shaped body part with reinforcing ribs;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a shaped body part whose width varies along its length;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a section of the body part of FIG. 8;

FIG. is a transverse cross section along line X-X of FIG. 9; and

FIGS. 11 to 13 are transverse cross sections of further embodiments.

Referring now to the drawing, wherein like reference nunerals designate like parts functioning in a like manner in all figures to avoid prolixity in the description, FIG. 1 illustrates the simplest embodiment of a shaped body part 1 of a laminated ski. This body part has a thin center portion with a substantially flat face 2 and two lateral rims 3 defining a substantially flabbottomed, shallow channel-6. The channel is shaped to receive the bottom lining 8 of the ski and the rims define shoulders 4 and 5 for positioning the laterally extending metal edges 7 adjacent the rims. The spacing between shoulders 4, 5 is approximately equal to the width of the ski at its tread or sliding surface, and the depth of channel 6 corresponds to the thickness of the metal edges 7 and the bottom lining 8.

As shown in FIG. 3, the assembly of a laminated ski on the basis of a shaped body part according to FIG. 1 proceeds in the following manner:

The metallic edges 7 and the bottom lining 8 are coated with an adhesive, the edges having first been provided with a nonmetallic layer 9 improving the adherence of the adhesive thereto, and the adhesivecoated, edges and lining are positioned in channel 6 of shaped body part 1. The additional laminae of the ski are then positioned over the flat face 2 of the body part 1. In the illustrated embodiments, these ski parts or laminae comprise a hollow plastic body 10 whose interior cavity carries a glass fiber-reinforced core 11 to impart added rigidity to the ski. A covering layer 12 and a protective edging 13 are placed over the reinforced plastic body 10. Jigs 14 hold the additional laminae in position during assembly. Except for the shaped body part 1, all ski parts have their final dimensions at the time of assembly so that finishing operation on the laminated ski may be held to a minimum. The laminated ski is then placed into a press to heat and/or harden the adhesive and thus to complete the lamination. After the laminated ski is removed from the press, the rim portions projecting outwardly from the edges are removed by cutting them off along line 15. This cutting line is so The preferred embodiment of the shaped body according to FIG. 2 differs from that of FIG. 1 only by the provision of a recess 17 in the flat bottom of channel 6 of the body part. This recess is designed to receive a reinforcing layer 21, as shown in the assembly of FIGS. 4 and 5, wherein an adhesive-coated reinforcing layer is placed into the recess.

As shown in these figures, the metal edges 7 of rectangular cross section are replaced by an angle iron edge 18 which holds a gliding lining 20 bonded to the edge by adhesive layer 19, the gliding lining being flush with bottom lining 8. In this embodiment, the jigs 14 are replaced by a boundary wall 23 projecting from the flat face of the shaped body part for positioning the additional ski part 22 on the body part. The assembly and completion of the laminated ski proceeds in the same manner as hereinabove described.

FIG. 5 differs from FIG. 4 only in that the boundary wall 25 is dimensioned to cover the additional ski part 24 entirely and thus to form permanent side walls of the ski. Ski part 24 is similar to body 10 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 illustrates a portion of an integral blank of a plurality of laterally adjacent shaped parts of the type shown in FIG. 2. Grooves 26 run between the adjacent body parts so that webs interconnect the body parts for ready severance from each other.

In the embodiment of FIG. 7, a shaped body part of the type illustrated in FIG. 2 comprises longitudinally extending, wedgeshaped reinforcing ribs 28 projecting from the flat face of the shaped body part 1 and being integral therewith. The reinforcing ribs vary in height from a minimum at the ends of the ski to a maximum at the center of the ski intermediate the ends thereof so that the thickness of the laminated ski varies along its length.

The transverse cross section of the shaped body part shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 is the same as that of FIG. 2. However, in this embodiment, the spacing between shoulders 4, 4' of the rims varies along the length of the ski body part for producing a correspondingly shaped ski body of varying width along its length. In this case, of course, the metal edges are not straight but follow the curvature of the shoulders 4, 4' and the bottom lining, too, has a correspondingly shaped boundary, rather than being rectangular. However, the recess 17 may be of constant width throughout the length of the body part to accommodate a rectangularly shaped reinforcing layer 21. The front end of the shaped body part has a recess 30 to receive a reinforcing layer for the upbent front portion of the ski.

FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate a particularly advantageous manufacturing method with an integral blank 35 of a plurality of laterally adjacent shaped body parts. The individual body parts will have the general shape shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 so that the channels 36 thereof receive the metal edges 18 and bottom lining 8, reinforcing layers 21 being positioned in the recesses in the flat bottoms of the channels.

Another integral blank 38 of a like plurality of laterally adjacent additional ski parts is placed upon the flat face of the shaped body parts of blank 35, the additional ski parts having longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs 39. Reinforcing layers 40 are laminated over the additional ski parts and the reinforcing layers are covered by a top lamina 41. After lamination has been completed in the above-described manner, the adjacent individual skis are severed from each other along line 42, the side faces being cut and finished as previously described.

The sections of FIGS. 1 1 and 12 being taken at different points along the length of the skis, these figures illustrate the varying heights of ribs 39 from the maximum of FIG. 12 to the minimum of FIG. 11. At the same time, the spacing between adjacent reinforcing ribs is greater at the ends (FIG. 11) than in the center (FIG. 12) so that the width of the'ski varies along the length thereof. While the ribs 39 are illustrated as of equal thickness throughout their length, this may, in fact, also be varied, if desired.

While the blanks of FIGS. 11 and 12 consist of only two shaped body parts, more than a pair of such pairs may be interconnected to form a single continuous length of strip for simultaneously making a plurality of skis in a single press run. The method of making a pair of skis is particularly useful if the skis of the pair do not have the same shape but constitute a left and a right" ski.

It will be apparent from the above description that considerable manufacturing economies may be achieved in accordance with the present invention, not only in the assembly of the laminated ski but also in finishing the same. Thus, for instance, in the embodiment of FIG. 5, the provision of side facing 25 will eliminate milling of the side faces, which is of particular advantage if the additional body part is glass fiber reinforced since the milling tools become dull rapidly in such operations. No or almost no lateral milling is required in the manufacture according to FIGS. 11 and 12. Additional advantages arise in positioning the protective aluminum edges of the upbent ski portion. I

The shaped ski body part may be pressed or rolled. It is also possible to mill the flat-bottomed channel into a pressed, rolled or extruded blank to produce the shaped part. It would also be possible to provide an additional channel adjacent the flat face to receive an upper covering layer and the upper edges so that the shaped body part becomes the ski body.

The latter embodiment is shown in FIG. 13. In this case, the shaped body part 50 is a solid body extending longitudinally the length of the ski and having a thickness decreasing from a maximum at its center (section of FIG. 13) to a minimum at its respective ends. The width of the body 50 is about 2 to 4 inches more than the desired width of the finished ski. The top and bottom faces of body 50 are milled to form flat-bottomed channels 51, 51 of rectangular transverse cross section. A reinforcing layer 21 is positioned in the bottom of the channels, with bottom liner 8 and cover layer 12 respectively superposed over the reinforcing layers. As in FIG. 4, metal edges 18 with gliding layers 20 are placed adjacent the bottom lining while, as also shown in FIG. 3, the upper side of the ski has protective edges 13. All these ski parts are adhesively bonded together under pressure and, after lamination has been completed, the side faces of the laminated ski are milled or cut to lines 15, leaving a slightly projecting edge portion at the treat or bottom of the ski.

What is claimed is:

1. A shaped body part used in fabrication of a lami- 6 nated ski comprising a bottom lining, laterally extending edges adjacent the lining, and at least one additional ski part, the shaped body part extending longitudinally the length of the ski and having one substantially flat face, two lateral downwardly extending rims defining a substantially flat-bottomed, shallow channel, the channel being shaped to receive the bottom lining and the rims defining shoulders for positioning the laterally extending edges adjacent the rims within the channel, the spacing between the shoulders being approximately equal to the width of the ski, and the one substantially flat face of the shaped body part being a support for the additional ski part.

2. The shaped ski body part of claim 1, wherein the flat bottom of the channel defines a recess for receiving a reinforcing layer.

3. The shaped ski body part of claim 1, wherein the spacing between the rim shoulders varies along the length of the body part for producing a correspondingly shaped ski body of varying width.

4. The shaped ski body part of claim 1, wherein the flat bottom of the channel defines a recess of constant width throughout the length of the body part for receiving a reinforcing layer, and the spacing between the rim shoulders varies along said length for producing a correspondingly shaped ski body of varying width.

5. The shaped ski body part of claim 1, the body part being a strip of extruded thermoplastic resin.

6. The shaped ski body part of claim 1, further comprising boundary walls projecting from the flat face in a direction opposite the rims for positioning the additional ski part.

7. The shaped ski body part of claim 6, wherein the boundary walls are dimensioned to cover the additional ski part and form permanent side .walls of the ski.

8. The shaped ski body part of claim 1, further comprising longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs projecting from the flat face.

9. The shaped ski body part of claim 8, wherein the longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs vary in height from a minimum at the ends of the ski to a maximum at the center of the ski intermediate the ends thereof.

10. The shaped ski body part of claim 1, which varies in width along its length.

1 l. The shaped ski body part of claim 1, which varies in thickness along its length.

12. The shaped ski body part of claim 1, further comprising means for positioning reinforcement means for the upbent front portion of the ski.

13. The shaped ski body part of claim 1, which varies in thickness along its length and has two additional lateral rims projecting upwardly from the flat face to define an additional substantially flat-bottomed, shallow channel, the shaped ski body part forming the main body of the ski.

14. An integral blank comprising a plurality of laterally adjacent shaped body parts according to claim 1, and webs interconnecting the body parts for ready severance from each other. 

1. A shaped body part used in fabrication of a laminated ski comprising a bottom lining, laterally extending edges adjacent the lining, and at least one additional ski part, the shaped body part extending longitudinally the length of the ski and having one substantially flat face, two lateral downwardly extending rims defining a substantially flat-bottomed, shallow channel, the channel being shaped to receive the bottom lining and the rims defining shoulders for positioning the laterally extending edges adjacent the rims within the channel, the spacing between the shoulders being approximately equal to the width of the ski, and the one substantially flat face of the shaped body part being a support for the additional ski part.
 2. The shaped ski body part of claim 1, wherein the flat bottom of the channel defines a recess for receiving a reinforcing layer.
 3. The shaped ski body part of claim 1, wherein the spacing between the rim shoulders varies along the length of the body part for producing a correspondingly shaped ski body of varying width.
 4. The shaped ski body part of claim 1, wherein the flat bottom of the channel defines a recess of constant width throughout the length of the body part for receiving a reinforcing layer, and the spacing between the rim shoulders varies along said length for producing a correspondingly shaped ski body of varying width.
 5. The shaped ski body part of claim 1, the body part being a strip of extruded thermoplastic resin.
 6. The shaped ski body part of claim 1, further comprising boundary walls projecting from the flat face in a direction opposite the rims for positioning the additional ski part.
 7. The shaped ski body part of claim 6, wherein the boundary walls are dimensioned to cover the additional ski part and form permanent side walls of the ski.
 8. The shaped ski body part of claim 1, further comprising longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs projecting from the flat face.
 9. The shaped ski body part of claim 8, wherein the longitudinally extending reinforcing rIbs vary in height from a minimum at the ends of the ski to a maximum at the center of the ski intermediate the ends thereof.
 10. The shaped ski body part of claim 1, which varies in width along its length.
 11. The shaped ski body part of claim 1, which varies in thickness along its length.
 12. The shaped ski body part of claim 1, further comprising means for positioning reinforcement means for the upbent front portion of the ski.
 13. The shaped ski body part of claim 1, which varies in thickness along its length and has two additional lateral rims projecting upwardly from the flat face to define an additional substantially flat-bottomed, shallow channel, the shaped ski body part forming the main body of the ski.
 14. An integral blank comprising a plurality of laterally adjacent shaped body parts according to claim 1, and webs interconnecting the body parts for ready severance from each other. 